Prototyping a User-Centered Verbal Harassment Reporting System for Social and Workplace Virtual Reality Experiences
Disciplines
Applied Ethics | Game Design | Graphics and Human Computer Interfaces
Abstract (300 words maximum)
As social VR platforms become more prevalent in daily life, they create opportunities for harmful behaviors. Studies show that users, particularly women and marginalized groups, frequently experience verbal abuse and other forms of harassment in virtual spaces, often with limited tools to report these incidents. Additionally, With more and more multi-user social VR platforms being adopted into the workplace, mitigating potential risks in a digital realm becomes a priority. This project aims to design and implement a user-centered reporting system prototype for multi-user VR applications and verify its feasibility. The VR reporting system will empower users to safely and effectively report verbal sexual harassment while preserving the immersive quality of the VR experience. Our design utilizes the game engine Unity to develop multiple scenes that allow for the testing of multiple harassment reporting UI options with the goal of understanding a bystander’s reaction and intervention to the incidents in the virtual space. Key features of the prototype include discreet reporting options, contextual guidance, and feedback mechanisms to keep users informed about the status of their reports. An informal user study will be conducted using the system prototype to collect initial user feedback to the reporting system design. Our work contributes to the broader conversation on ethical design in emerging technologies and provides practical recommendations for developers and policymakers to combat harassment in virtual space. Insights gained from the user feedback can be applied to the design of future workspace VR applications and promote positive multi-user experiences in immersive environments.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
CCSE - Software Engineering and Game Development
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Lei Zhang
Prototyping a User-Centered Verbal Harassment Reporting System for Social and Workplace Virtual Reality Experiences
As social VR platforms become more prevalent in daily life, they create opportunities for harmful behaviors. Studies show that users, particularly women and marginalized groups, frequently experience verbal abuse and other forms of harassment in virtual spaces, often with limited tools to report these incidents. Additionally, With more and more multi-user social VR platforms being adopted into the workplace, mitigating potential risks in a digital realm becomes a priority. This project aims to design and implement a user-centered reporting system prototype for multi-user VR applications and verify its feasibility. The VR reporting system will empower users to safely and effectively report verbal sexual harassment while preserving the immersive quality of the VR experience. Our design utilizes the game engine Unity to develop multiple scenes that allow for the testing of multiple harassment reporting UI options with the goal of understanding a bystander’s reaction and intervention to the incidents in the virtual space. Key features of the prototype include discreet reporting options, contextual guidance, and feedback mechanisms to keep users informed about the status of their reports. An informal user study will be conducted using the system prototype to collect initial user feedback to the reporting system design. Our work contributes to the broader conversation on ethical design in emerging technologies and provides practical recommendations for developers and policymakers to combat harassment in virtual space. Insights gained from the user feedback can be applied to the design of future workspace VR applications and promote positive multi-user experiences in immersive environments.